Securing Your Front Door. What’s in a Lock?

The idea of writing a post entirely devoted to locks could seem a bit weird. But bear with us. You see, a good lock is a necessity for any door. It protects us by helping to prevent unauthorized access. But only if it’s locked.

So, this brings us to the question of what types of locks help us to secure our homes?

And how can we ensure that our doors are always closed?

When you’re at home, if you think that you haven’t locked the door then you can easily get up and check. But, what happens when you are on the road? Or you’ve gone off for a holiday? How can you check that your doors were closed? You could call a neighbor to check. But what if the neighbor you trust is away as well?

Smart Locks vs. Dumb Locks – What Would You Do?

You’re at the airport waiting for your flight. While thumbing through your phone, you get this nagging feeling that something is amiss. You start thinking about what it could be and then realize you can’t remember if you locked the door. You call your neighbor to go and check, but he’s gone out of town on an impromptu trip. You board your flight and spend the entire trip thinking about the door that may or may not be locked.

You get home, your front door is unlocked, there are no signs of forced entry, and all your valuables are gone.

Now picture this.

You’re at the airport, and your flight is called. As you get up to board, it crosses your mind that, wait, in your haste to get to the airport you might have rushed out and forgot to lock the door. You quickly take out your smartphone, bring up a the Total Connect app and check your door. Yes, it is unlocked. You select an option, and just like that, your door is locked. Now you can go off on vacation without worrying about your house. Which scenario would you choose? I know which one I would prefer.

Are there disadvantages with a smart lock?

Home automation comes with many discussions on the positives and negatives. With smart locks, it is often reported that someone ‘could’ – not a certainty – unlock your door online. But how many home burglars are going to be searching through the houses on a street to find a lock they could break online?

Home burglaries are often crimes of opportunity. You leave your window open, and they just climb up and crawl in. You forget to lock the door, they turn the handle and just walk in.

Relying on neighbors to notice something amiss is not enough. You have to take the necessary safeguards to protect your property.

This is not to say that a traditional lock doesn’t work well to protect your home. It works, just as long as you have the key and remember to lock it before you leave. So, if you are ready to sail off on vacation or just run down to the store without having to worry that you forgot to lock the door, then contact ATP. We know a thing or two about smart locks and how to install them to your best advantage.